6 years agoNew York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks is coming off of two strong seasons in the Big Apple and is geared up for 2019 as an impact player in CF. After Hicks had his 2017 season limited to just 361 plate appearances (while posting an .847 OPS), Hicks had a career-best 581 plate appearances in 2018, posting a .248/.366/.467 slash line. He hit 27 home runs, stole 11 of his 13 attempts, and scored 90 runs. A former top-10 prospect, Hicks had a .644 OPS in 1289 plate appearances coming into 2017. With an increased focus on plate discipline, Hicks blossomed; his BB% was 14.1% in 2017 and 15.5% in 2018. Furthermore, in 2018, Hicks set a career-high for hard-hit ball rate at 39.5% and had a strong 21.6% line drive rate. For those in head-to-head leagues, the consistency for Hicks had to be nice; he had an OPS over .800 in five of six months last season, including a 1.014 OPS in July. While his slugging percentage dipped a bit in the second half (.491 to .436), his OBP took a 40 point jump to .388, as he walked as many times as he struck out (49). Likely hitting in the middle of the Yankees lineup, Hicks will have the opportunity to create runs. Hicks’ patience will lead to him getting on base in front of Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, while Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner will likely get on base in front of him as well. Look at Hicks as a mid-tier OF4 with the potential for upside in a strong lineup.--Chris Zolli